Every day, Yayoi Kurayoshi and her parents stand on a street corner, passing out flyers about Yayoi's missing sister Sumire. Yayoi feels especially guilt-ridden, because she'd had an argument with Sumire the day she disappeared that resulted in the sisters not walking home together as they normally did. She's also troubled by recurring visions of bubbles. At night, Yayoi is awakened by the sound of bubbles coming from Sumire's room. Sumire goes to investigate and as midnight ticks by, the computer switches itself on on and the visions of bubbles intensify. In the sunset world, Ichimoku Ren informs Ai that she's received a request. Ai appears to Yayoi, who is now sitting at the computer and doesn't remember summoning her. Ai vanishes at the realization that Sumire submitted the request. and regroups with the minions. Wanyuudo also realizes the Sumire submitted the request. Ren takes an interest in Yayoi. Yayoi is unable to return to the Hell Correspondence, but the computer's browser history shows that it had been accessed repeatedly over the past several nights.
As Ren continues to watch her, Yayoi investigates rumors about the Hell Correspondence. Yayoi has another vision of bubbles and hears Sumire calling out to her. As time passes with the visions continuing and no sign of her sister, Yayoi comes to the conclusion that Sumire must be dead. But because she has no way to identify the killer, she can't put a name into the Hell Correspondence site. Wanyuudo and Hone Onna decide to leave the investigation to Ren, who has taken a personal interest in the matter. As a mysterious girl watches from above, Wanyuudo decides to investigate the site of Sumire's disappearance.
Yayoi goes to the police station, but realizes that they won't be able to help her without proof of a murder. Meanwhile, Ai, Wanyuudo and Hone Onna discover the circumstances of Sumire's disappearance by reading the memories of a dog that was there at the time. They react to what they see with pity and disgust. Yayoi continues to blame herself for leaving Sumire behind, but still can't access the Hell Correspondence. Wanyuudo says that she can't use the site because she's trying to use it out of guilt rather than anger and Ren has a flashback to a sword being raised against a woman.
The visions of bubbles and Sumire's voice get more and more intense. Yayoi tries to suggest to her parents that Sumire likely won't be found alive, her mother flips out and her father scolds Yayoi for upsetting her. Yayoi gives up on trying to avenge Sumire and Wanyuudo wonders whether it would make Yayoi happier. The visions continue and Yayoi tries to tells Sumire that she can't do anything for her, but Yayoi falls into a fountain and Sumire shows her one final vision: Sumire, walking home alone, was attacked and kidnapped by a man, who took her to an abandoned warehouse where he proceeded to rape and kill her. After the deed was done, he tossed the suitcase containing her body into a lake. After seeing this, Yayoi is able to access the Hell Correspondence as Ren suspected she would. Yayoi receives Ren's straw doll and realizes that she has to be the one to pull the thread as Sumire is dead and so cannot meet Ai's terms. Yayoi pulls the thread.
The rapist drives up to a girl wearing Sumire's shoes and offers her a ride. The girl reveals herself to be Ai and walks on. The rapist tried to run her over for refusing, but his car suddenly falls into a lake. As the car sinks, Hone Onna appears with her skull showing to him and taunts him. The rapist then finds himself getting dragged under a waterwheel by Sumire's clothing and his pleas for help are refused by Wanyuudo, who is possessing the waterwheel. The rapist awakens again, this time in shallow water in front of a traditional Japanese stage. Ren demands that he confess, but the rapist denies everything as a masked actress approaches onstage. After repeated denials, the actress's mask falls off to once again reveal Ai, who banishes the rapist to Hell. As he is ferried to Hell, the rapist is filled with water until he bursts.
The episode ends with Yayoi and her parents once again passing out flyers on the street corner. A candle with Yayoi's name is lit.
This episode contains examples of:
- Apathetic Citizens:
- The background characters don't pay Yayoi and her family any mind as they try to hand out missing posters to them. The only character to take one is a man who inappropriately tries to use the flier as an excuse to pick Yayoi up, only to drop it on the ground and walk away when she rejects his advances.
- While they look concerned, the background characters don't check on Yayoi after she climbs into the fountain toward the end of the episode.
- Bookends: The episode begins and ends with Yayoi's family on the street corner.
- Danger Takes a Backseat: At the beginning of the hell-banishment, Hone Onna appears in the backseat of the killer's car to terrify him.
- Death by Irony: Invoked during the Hell banishment. The first two segments of it involve the rapist drowning, with the first being in a lake.
- Dead Man's Chest: Sumire's corpse was stuffed into a suitcase and thrown into a lake.
- Ignorance Is Bliss: The ending of the episode strongly implies that Yayoi chose not to inform her parents of her sister's fate, instead keeping them in the dark about it so they can have hope that she'll someday be returned to them. Ichimokuren seems to notice this and wistfully looks on at them as they hand out the missing person fliers.
- Kabuki Sounds: These can be heard around the stage during the third part of the hell banishment and it's ultimately revealed that Ai's minions are the ones making the sounds.
- Losing a Shoe in the Struggle: During Sumire's rape/murder, there's a shot of one of her shoes rolling away.
- Magic A Is Magic A: Sumire is unable to use the Hell Correspondence even while acting through Yayoi. This is because Sumire is dead and is therefore unable to meet Ai's terms. Yayoi eventually makes the deal in her place.
- No Name Given: No name is ever given for the rapist, even in the credits.
- Parting-Words Regret: The last time Yayoi saw Sumire, the two had parted ways after a heated argument. Yayoi blames herself for not staying with Sumire instead.
- Placid Plane of Ankle-Deep Water: The third and final part of the rapist's Afterlife Antechamber is a flat plane covered in shallow purplish water. The only structure in sight is a kabuki stage where Ichimoku Ren confronts him with his crimes.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: The rapist is one of the few antagonists who goes to Hell screaming in pain rather than fear. He gets filled with water until he bursts.
- Rape Discretion Shot: Done with Sumire's shoe, as mentioned above.
- Scream Discretion Shot: As the rapist gets ferried to Hell, he is filled with water until his torso bursts open. When this happens, the POV jumps to a distant view with water shooting out of the boat and the rapist screaming in agony.
- Survivor Guilt: Yayoi is guilt-ridden by the fact that Sumire died horribly and believes that her death could have been avoided if they had walked home together just as they usually did.
- Trapped in a Sinking Car: The Hell banishment starts with this, with Hone Onna in the back seat.
- When the Clock Strikes Twelve: Sumire accesses the Hell Correspondence at midnight and submits the killer before her cuckoo clock finishes striking.
